In this episode, we unpack self-connection and how to establish or maintain a sense of connection with ourselves.
“Your relationship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship you have.” — Robert Holden,
SHOW NOTES: Hello, and welcome to another episode. How are you? I am so glad that we can spend this time together!
With the hustle and bustle of life, we can find ourselves here, there and everywhere! We have commitments to others, responsibilities and perhaps even personal expectations that we have placed on ourselves. However, are we staying in connection with ourselves? You might be thinking, what do you mean about staying in connection with ourselves?
For example, how about our ever-changing feelings, thoughts & self-talk, the chatter that goes on in our heads, our personal wins and our needs and wants.
Psychology Today explains that self-connection has three components. These consist of self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-alignment.
Let’s look into these a little further…
1. Self-awareness: Awareness of one’s internal experiences, thoughts, emotions, sensations, preferences, values, intuitions, resources, goals, etc.
2. Self-acceptance: Full acknowledgment and acceptance, without judgment, of self-relevant characteristics and experiences. And seeing them as part of us and belonging to us.
3. Self-alignment: Using self-knowledge to behave in ways that authentically reflect oneself and fulfil one’s psychological needs (e.g., autonomy).
A recent study conducted by Klussman and colleagues shows that self-connection is associated with numerous positive outcomes. These include pleasant emotions, life satisfaction, clarity, and a sense of purpose. People who are disconnected from themselves are more likely to experience unpleasant emotions like sadness, anger, stress, confusion, and feeling that their life is unsatisfactory with no purpose.
They also developed and validated a new measure called the Self-Connection Scale. The Self-Connection Scale provides an analysis of authenticity, mindfulness, self-compassion, self-acceptance, self-concept, clarity and well-being.
If you would like to determine your level of self-connection using the scale developed in the study, click here. A side note scales are there to serve us and not the other way round. They are not there to box and label us. Instead, they are they to provide information or identify any gaps so we can close them. Understanding where we are can be an empowering process if we choose to lean in and grow.
If you would like to establish or maintain a sense of self-connection, you can simply pause a few times during the day and check how connected you feel by asking yourself have I been self-aware and self-accepting?Has my behaviour reflected my true self?
Have you committed to spending time with yourself? Getting to know yourself better? I made it a mission of mine to do activities that I would do with others on my own, like going to the movies or a restaurant. It felt foreign at first but empowering at the same time.
What is something that you’ve always wanted to have a go at or experience?
On a finishing note, what is something that you can do to connect with yourself, and if you already are, what can you do to maintain that connection?
Source: Psychology Today
Recommended Content: The Self-Connection Scale & Podcast Episode Self-Reflection
